Blessings to All Y’all People of Conscience,
Our 3rd newsletter is hitting inboxes in a new format (Substack) on an auspicious day for Lapidus & Myles-- the 1 year anniversary of the release of our 1st album: Better Angels. We chose to release Better Angels on Valentine’s Day of 2022 because the music on Better Angels is all about LOVE.
Having just returned from an artist-in-residence weekend at Washington Hebrew Congregation, this newsletter will include a bit of new content, a brief “year-in-review,” a call to action, and a list of upcoming activities. As always, we appreciate your generous attention and support. And speaking of love, we’d LOVE to hear from you (even if you write simply to ask us to take you off the newsletter recipient list)!
New Content
Once again, this newsletter’s “new content” comes in print rather than music format. As part of our visit to Washington Hebrew Congregation we participated in a short but meaningful written interview. This interview describes our journey to this point as well as our thoughts on antisemitism and racism as well as a few other important topics. It’s attached should you wish to take a slightly deeper dive.
Year in Review
As mentioned, Better Angels was released on 2/14/22 having been recorded in June and July of 2021. Better Angels has been an incredible blessing for the two of us. Since its release we’ve been able to share our music and message in an array of diverse settings. For example:
With Neranenah, an Atlanta- based non-profit cultural event series with roots in Jewish culture and musical traditions.
With Lois Reitzes, host of City Lights, on WABE, Atlanta’s NPR Station.
With the American Jewish Committee at Atlanta’s annual Unity Seder.
With Congregation Shir Ami in Bucks County, PA.
With Temple Beth El in Charlotte, NC.
With The Temple Tifereth Israel and Elizabeth Baptist Church in Cleveland, OH.
With Temple Kol Emeth in Marietta, GA.
With the Goldring/ Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life and The Alluvial Collective, in Jackson, MS.
With The Davis Academy (where Micah is rabbi), in Atlanta, GA.
With Stephen S. Wise Temple, in Los Angeles, CA.
With FaithWorks, a voter education and empowerment organization that fought to protect voting rights in GA at an event hosted at The King Center.
With the Children’s Museum of Atlanta.
With Temple Israel, in Boston, MA.
With The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Washington DC.
With the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
With representatives of the Jewish Community of Greater Fairfield County during their visit to Atlanta and other sites in the South.
With The Temple and Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church during our annual MLK Shabbat celebration, Atlanta, GA.
With the Multifaith Initiative to End Mass Incarceration at their conference in Atlanta, GA.
With Washington Hebrew Congregation, Washington DC.
During these encounters, both virtual and in-person, we’ve had the joy of interacting with thousands of people of conscience as well as many faith and civic leaders. In addition, we’ve used our discretionary travel time to visit museums and other sites of interest that expand our horizons and deepen our understanding. Sites like The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland), The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Cincinnati), The Freedom Trail (Boston), The US Holocaust Memorial Museum (DC) and The National Museum of African American History & Culture (DC). We’ve been deeply inspired. Our conviction that there is an urgent, necessary, and growing movement of “People of Conscience” has been confirmed over and over again. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve learned, we’ve listened, and we’ve sung. If you were with us at one or more of these offerings we would love to know if any seeds have grown that may have been planted (or watered) during our time together. It would be a great honor to receive feedback from you.
Call to Action
It is our fervent prayer that a year from now we reflect back on the present moment with gratitude and appreciation along with a host of new experiences, connections, insights, and songs. In order to make that prayer a reality we plan to continue to devote ourselves to “living our values” and putting ourselves out there. We also need to continue to cultivate our comfort with asking for support. How can you support us?
If you’ve read this far, you’re supporting us!
If you have friends or contacts in cities that we are visiting you can connect us.
If you’d like us to visit your community or have ideas for partners, organizations, or conferences where we might make a meaningful contribution you can introduce/connect us.
If you’re on social media you can “like, follow, comment, share”: (Facebook, Instagram)
If you know someone that would appreciate receiving our newsletter you can encourage them to sign up.
If we’ve done something that offended or upset you, you can let us know so we can learn and grow!
If you stream music you can listen to Better Angels and our few other recordings: YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music.
Lastly, while we are constantly exploring possible visits/dates/engagements, there are two weekends that we have on hold should anyone have a brilliant idea for an invitation: The weekend of 5/26/23 (Shavuot and Memorial Day) and the weekend of 9/8/23. Let us know!
Upcoming Engagements
3/2/23-- Zoom Happy Hour with Momentum Lab. 8:00 p.m. ET.
3/28/23-- Freedom Seder hosted by ISJL and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Jackson, MS. Details forthcoming.
3/31- 4/2, 2023-- We will be in Rye, NY hosted by The Community Synagogue of Rye; all are welcome to attend.
4/22/23-- Our visit to Colleyville, TX was sadly canceled.
Till We Meeting Again,
Micah and Melvin (Lapidus & Myles)
I'd love to see upstate New York some time.
So far only seen NYC with Alice Cooper,,
NYC with Mrs Palmer
and NYC with kids Michael and Caroline